Sep 30, 2009

Making of Vodafone ZooZoo ads

The trend of TV ads have now changed....people show the frustrations on the Remote, continuously browsing thro' the channels when an advertisement comes....as i said, it's not the case these days as ad makers are so focused in getting the people watch their ads a ton times without getting bored, whether or not, it promotes the product....The best example......ZOO-ZOO Dolls for Vodafone aired in SET-MAX for the IPL-2 Edition......The Strange thing that made this ad to enter my blog is the FACT that how they are made.....

Watch the ALL IN ONE 15 COMMERCIAL PACK below.

Now, How Zoozoo characters are made?First, they aren’t animated characters. They are human beings who were made to wear body suits.

“The design of the characters is such that one gets fooled into thinking itis animation,”

shrugs Rao, which was indeed the very illusion that had to be created. “In a sense, it is ‘live’ animation!” he quips, referring to the fact that it was all shot live.

Prakash Varma, ad filmmaker, Nirvana Films, has directed the commercials, and reveals that the Zoozoos were a big challenge to create. The practical aspects of how they will move, talk, gesticulate and emote were very important. Essentially, costume design and artwork were crucial elements.

“It took me three weeks of pre-production to understand how it will work,” says Varma. There were two fabrics that were considered for the body suits, and one was rejected for it had too many wrinkles and was shiny. The wrinkles would have shown when the characters moved, thereby shattering the illusion of animation. “So we chose the more practical, thicker fabric,” Varma explains.

The production team divided the outfit into two parts: the body and the head. The body part of the outfit was stuffed with foam in some places, while the head was attached separately. To make it look bigger than a human head, a harder material called Perspex was used, which in turn was stuffed with foam (with scope for ventilation).

If one wishes to understand the size of this head, here’s a fact: a human head would typically reach up to the mouth level of this giant Zoozoo head. “We kept the hands and legs thin, which is why we cast women – and occasionally children – wearing the costumes,” says Varma. The thin limbs, contrasted with big bellies and a bulbous head, all add to the illusion that these creatures are ‘smaller’ than humans. Sets were created to suit the size of the Zoozoos.Concept Note: Zoozoos are not animated characters. They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. The films were shot by Nirvana in Cape Town, South Africa.TAGS:vodafone zoozoo ipl commercial ads video download